Nut-shelling machine.



A. W. BLATT.

' NUT SHELLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION Flu-31050.23. 1914.

1,257,306. Patented Feb.26,1918.

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A. W. BLATT.

NUT SHELLING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION EILED 050.23. mm.

1 ,25 7, 306 Patented Feb. 26, 1918.

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ALFRED W. BLA'IT, F CENTER/PORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

NUT-SHELLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2c, 1918.

Application filed December 23, 1914. Serial No. 878,760.

To all whom'z't may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED WV. BLATT, a citizen of the United States, residing t Genterport, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut-Shelling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to nut shelling machines and is more particularly concerned with the provision of a machine for shellin peanuts or Other nuts such as almonds anc the like having a comparatively fragile protective covering.

As a principal object, this invention contemplates the provision of a machine which shall include a primary crushing mechanism designed to operate upon the shells of nuts without injuring the kernel, intermediate means for separating the crushed shells from' the kernels and final blast means adapted to sort away in separate discharge streams the lighter shells from the heavier kernels.

A coordinate object is to provide means compactly housing the foregoing mechanism as a whole and providing certain features of adj ustability rendering the machine capable of operating upon various grades of nuts of difierent sizes.

A more specific object resides in the provision of a pair of sorting disks, one of which shall be stationary with relation to which the second disk is parallelly revoluble, both disks being provided with a plurality of sorting pegs or pins for freeing crushed shell fragments from the uninjured kernel in a manner enabling the air blast to effectively, operate thereupon.

The above and additional objects which will become apparent as this explanatory description proceeds, are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claim which is append ed hereto and forms a part of this application.

lVith reference to the drawings, wherein there is illustrated the preferred embodit; of this invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which like characters of reference designate similar parts:

Figure 1 is side elevation at peanut shelling machine comprehended by this invention,

F1g.2 is a view taken on a vertical central plane through the machine as shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 i a sectional view transversely of the machine on a plane at right angles to Fig. 2,

Fig. at is a fragmentary horizontal view showing the mounting of t -e fanning mechamsm,

Fig. 5 is a similar fragmentary view show ing the screen exit for the kernels and the separate discharge spout for the shells,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through the sorting disks and the mounting therefor,

Fig. 7 is adetailelevation of the crushing mechanism removed from the machine,

Fig. 8 is a similar view, but in perspective of the crush block adapted to coact with the mechanism of Fig. 7

Fig. 9. is a sectional detail of the air inlet for the fan,

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 6, through the mounting of the non-rotatable sorting disk. and i Fig. 11 is an elevational view of the mounting for the Sorting disk.

In reducing this invention to practice in the manner illustrated in the drawings, there is made use of the casing 15 having sides 16, ends 17 and a top and bottom 18 and 19 respectlvely, the former of which may be made removable in order to permit of access to the contained mechanism for repairs or similar purposes, the whole casing being mounted upon the legs 20, airs of which are connected to suitable bases 21 in affording the machine'a solid foundation. A hopper 22 is positioned in thetop 1'8 and provided with the downwardly directed angled spout 23 exably concaved side spaced from the roller as in. order to permit of a nniformpathof travel for the nuts being crushed. As clearly shown in Fig. 8, this concaved face 27 may be provided with a plurality of grooves 28 in order to facilitate the crushing action upon the nut. A means for adj ustingly supporting this block is provided by bolts 29 threaded through the adjacent ends 17 of the casing and secured in their desired position by nuts 30. A suitable guide plate 31 is attached to the lower corner of the block in order to convey the crushed nuts directly to the sorting mechanism.

This mechanism comprises as stated a pair of disks provided with sorting pins, one of which disks is stationary while the other is adapted to revolve, the sorting pins of the latter thereby passing between adjacent pins of the stationary disk in a manner adapted to separate the crushed shelled portions from the uninjured kernels after the nuts have passed through the crushing mechanism. These disks are mounted upon a second transverse shaft 32 having its ends rotatably mounted in the side walls of the casing 15 upon suitable rounded portions 33 and 34, the shaft being otherwise square in order to mount thereon for rotation therewith the revoluble disk 35 and the gear 36 interiorly of the casing and exteriorly thereof, the large V-groove pulley 37 and smaller drive pulley 38 as shown in Fig. 3. A sleeve bearing 39 is provided with a central portion bearing upon the rounded part 32 of the shaft, such portion terminating in the perpendicular disk flanges 40 and 41 which are respectively secured as indicated by the numerals 42 to the walls 16 of the casing and the stationary disk 43. Each of these disks carries a plurality of pins a arranged in successive series concentrically with the shaft 32 and radiating therefrom to the periphery of each disk, each series of the revoluble disk being so spaced as to travel between the two adjacent corresponding series of the fixed disk in the manner illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6. Spaces 7) may be left upon the fixed disk in which the mounting of the pins is discontinued as illustrated in Fig. 2 in order to provide a ready space for receiving and discharging shells from the crusher 24. The gear 36 carried by this disk shaft is adapted to mesh with the similar but smaller internal gear 44 carried by the crusher shaft 25 and thus provides driving connections for the latter.

Similarly, a suitable driving belt or strap 45 serves to transmit rotation of the large pulley 37 to a smaller and similarly grooved pulley 46 carried upon the fan driving shaft 47 which in turn serves to drive the fan shaft 48 through the medium of the meshing bevel gears 49, such shafts 47 and 48 being mounted at right angles in suitable bearings 50 carried upon the cross braces 51 and 52 adjacent the floor 19 of the inolosed casing and the latter mentioned shaft hearing at its extremity the bladed fan 53 which is adapted to direct the blast of air generated thereby forwardly over suitable exit apertures 54 and 55 provided in the floor 19 and one end 17 respectively and adjacent each other. A downwardly slanting partition 56 serves to separate the portions of the casing 15 reserved for the fan 53 from that portion occupied by the sorting disks 35 and 43, and provides furthermore means for properly deflecting the fan blast and for directing the How of kernels and crushed shells leaving the sorted disks to their proper exit. The discharge aperture 54 forms the exit for the heavier kernels and is screened as indicated at 57 while the aperture 55 for the shells is provided with the exit spout 58 under which spout and the kernel exit 54 may be placed suitable receptacles indicated at 59 for the respective reception of the refuse and the shelled nuts.

In operation the shaft 32 may be turned either manually by aid of a crank or by some suitable motive power connected to the driving pulley 38 causing a rotation of this shaft with its disk 35 and consequently driving the crusher shaft 25 and the fan driving shaft 47 by means of the gearing and pulley connections described. Peanuts, almonds or the like thin skinned nuts which it is desired to hull are poured into the hopper 22 whence they are acted upon by the crusher 24 in passing therebetween and the block 26 in such manner as to crush their outer covering without injuring the kernel as may be very readily assured by proper adjustment of the crush block which may thus be fitted for the reception of graded nuts of varying sizes. The passage of the mixed kernels and shells through the sorting disks obviously results in the disassociation with each other thereof, this stream of separated kernels and shell fragments issuing from the sorting disks and deflected by the partition 56 over the exit 54 where the fanning blast acts upon the lighter shell fragments to carry them through the exit 55 and spout 58 in disposing of them exteriorly of the casing 15 while the heavier kernels pass through the screen 57 and into their proper receptacle. Air for this fan blast may be drawn in from the outside atmosphere through the suitable opening 60 crossed by a brace 61 through which extends the described fan driving shaft 47.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that means have been provided whereby the previously presented objects are capable of being attained so that this invention may therefore be properly claimed as possessing the advantages and desirabilities set forth in such objects.

While in the foregoing however, there has thus been illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification such combination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of this invention, itis desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changes in the matters of proportion and degree may be made in later adaptations of this device as shall not alter the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a nut shelling machine, the combination with a closed casing of a crushing cylinder having a roughened surface and a concave cooperative with said cylinder and adjustable to and from the same, a pair of disks spaced apart and in parallel relation, the lower part of said cylinder lying between said disks at the upper edges thereof, a conducting plate between the bottom of the concave and the disks, pins projecting inwardly from the opposing faces of said disks and overlapping one another, means for rigidly securin one of said disks to the casing, a rotata 1e shaft extending through said securing means upon which shaft the other disk is mounted to rotate, driving means for said shaft, an inclined partition below the disks extend ing from one end of the casing nearly to the opposite endthereof, an outlet at the bottom and an outlet through one end of the casing for the escape of the crushed materials, a screen covering the former outlet, and means below the partition for forcing a blast of air over and through said -outlets.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED W. BLATT.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissloner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

